Shattered By Broken Dreams
by Keiti-burii
Summary: Lost in his own personal hell, Naruto is struggling to come to grips with his broken life. Just as he finds that one bit of peace he had been searching for, it's ripped away from him when the one person he could never give up on returns. KibaNaru SasuNaru
1. Prologue: Lips of Deceit

**Yo, minna-san! I am called ScreamsoftheLost, but you may know me (and/or call me so if you so wish) Catie-brie and I welcome you to the rewritten version of my first ever Naruto fanfiction (that I never finished, which is why I'm rewriting it to begin with). I don't wunna type too much nonsense here, so I'll just say what I need to say and get on with it.**

**Warnings for this chapter:**

**-Yaoi **

**-Swearing**

**-Good ole bloody violence **

**-A very short opening, the chapters are longer, I promise**

**Disclaimer: I own not the character, though I truly wish I did /sobs/**

**But now to get on with things- Enjoy!**

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**_Shattered By Broken Dreams_**  
Prologue  
**_Lips of Deceit_**

_A cold, unforgiving wind whistled through the grasping fingers of winter-bared trees; a moaning cry like the lament of a poor mother who had lost her son to the horrors of a hopeless war and could take the pain no longer. The pitiful voice carried recklessly through the forest, rushing through the very heart of it and past its wavering boarders. But who was there to listen? Who was there to hear the heart-wrenching sound? Only the two figures standing amidst tangled bramble and deadened foliage, but they paid it no heed, they couldn't. Each could only spare his senses for the other; no more; no less._

There was blood on the ground, black and beautiful against the colorless gray of the forest floor, and on the trees; the scent of the thick liquid mingled with sweat and fear and betrayal. Everything was still and quiet and tension hung thick in the air like a cigarette smoke, even the moaning of the wind had stopped as if holding its breath. Leaves crackled and stirred beneath their feet as they snapped into motion, riling the wind back to singing it sad song and blowing the braches back to dancing their mad dance.

_They whirled about each other, the first man desperately graceful in his movements as he attacked with fervor he did not have; the second cruelly lissome in his as he ducked and curled in time with the hasty swipes and kicks aimed at him. Finally he pressed the other man up against the uneven trunk of an age-old tree; one pale hand wrapped tightly around a shaky fist that had been thrust out elbow first to make space between them; the other was pressed against the sweating cheek of the first, the action so mockingly tender and sweet. _

_The two stood there for quite awhile; breath puffed in and out heavily from between parted lips; bodies shook from exertion. And then, the man with the lissome step leaned in and pressed his length against the other; the hand around the barring first forced it to the other's side, but he wasn't even fighting anymore. Pale lips, deceptively soft and pouting pressed lightly against ones parted and cherry-red, a pink tongue tracing the seam of the other's mouth before slipping between the still parted lips. The kiss was as gentle as a caring lover's but as cold as shattered ice; the caressing fingertips trailed frost wherever they touched but the man beneath him never fought back, never pulled away. _

_As the man pulled back, a cruel smirk curving his lips, he watched as the man's crystal blue eyes fluttered open— the slight shimmer of unshed tears brightening the orb— before dipping back in close; his nose ghosted passed the other's cheek and lightly brushed the opening of his ear, hot breath warming the external organ. Satin lips could be felt, as well as heard, as he whispered something softly to the other in an almost intimate manner. Those silent words seemed to steal the very life from the man pressed against the tree and with one silent cry of utter horror and despair, he collapsed to his knees; his lifeless blue eyes staring blankly out into the space before them._

_As the man with the lissome steps departed, he took one last look at the fallen boy and, even though his lips twisted into a cold, malicious smirk, his slate grey eyes showed the path to a weeping heart and haunted soul._

* * *

"Fuck, not again," Naruto whispered as he shook away the remnants of the vague nightmare clouding his consciousness as he pushed himself upright, white sheets pooling around his bare waist. He could feel the sweat drenching his tan flesh trail down his cheeks and drip onto the linens heavily and his breath came in shallow puffs; he was barely aware of the other body stirring beside him until a sleep mangled groan escaped from its throat.

Wha'isit?" a masculine voice slurred as the sleek body it belonged to pushed itself onto toned forearms. Sharp, concerned brown eyes bore into weary blue ones as Kiba— looking far more alert than he sounded— turned on his side to face his lover, one arm still propping him upright. "Another nightmare?"

"Yeah," the blonde hissed as he roughly raked a shaking hand through his messy hair. The same nightmare had been haunting his sleep for a month solid— coming and going frequently before that— and keeping him from a good night's sleep for God knows how long. Despite never remembering what had happened in the dreams, he knew it was the same one from every other night because of the way he felt when he woke up: frightened, betrayed and on the verge of tears—or at the very least, shaking like a soaked kitten. He didn't know what was causing them, but he knew that something was going to happen, something bad and devastating. And it was going to happen soon.

The shaken blonde took a deep, settling breath before falling back against his pillows, draping a strong arm around his lover as he fell, bringing the other down with him. "I'm going back to sleep. I'll worry about it tomorrow." He added the last part when the disgruntled brunette made a sound of protest, he was too tired to deal with his nightmares or his overly protective partner. And as he settled himself back against the bed, snuggled against Kiba, he couldn't get rid of the persistent unease knotting his stomach, an unease that always dissipated with his waking. 

Yes, very soon, indeed.

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**For those of you who read the original, was that better? Worse? Please let me know! I won't update unless I get at least three reviews, and I know for a fact that that is not asking a lot. So please, please review.**

**Until next time.**

**Catie-brie**


	2. I:I Rooftops

Thank you everyone who reviewed! It means a lot to me when you tell me what you think, please continue to do so! A special thanks goes out to The Six for recommending my story and Fire Kunai for the wonderful review! Much love!

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Chapter One  
**_Rooftops_**

__

Ever since you left, I've been having trouble coping with this life. The taunts and jabs seem sharper, the loneliness seems heavier, this distance between us seems so much farther. 

_I saw you. You were so changed; your black eyes seemed even more fathomless than before, creating a never-ending trail to your trapped soul. Did you really mean what you said, or was it just a way to get me to quit following?_ __

But now, three full years have passed and no one has heard a word. Everyone has given up— everyone but me. I'm still here waiting, hoping; but as each day goes by, I become more and more doubtful that you're ever coming back to me. Yet, I know there's a little part of me that will never let go, never give up.

_But do I still love you?_

* * *

****

Three years earlier—age fifteen…

He felt like his body was drowning in pain as his slender form was slammed into the concrete rim surrounding the roof's edge. His back bent backwards at an impossible angle before ricocheting forward into a slump; pain lanced up and down his spine over and over before settling in a knot at the center of his stomach. Golden locks fell limply back into place, obscuring detached, sky-blue eyes with uneven shadows so that the hidden hurt threatening to break the surface would not be seen by his tormentors. He could feel his breath enter and exit his lungs in shallow gasps, whooshing out completely when a booted foot dug into his stomach roughly, followed by several cruel sniggers.

Blood and spittle, spat between clenched teeth, painted the ground between his spread legs as he coughed, his throat becoming worn and raw from the constant hacking. His unfocused eyes caught on the morbidly amusing designs the cocktail of fluids created on the dark-gray ground as he unsteadily tried to push himself back up off it.

"Keep him down!" The obvious leader of the three-man group snapped. His hand— dotted crimson and matching the stains on his shirt— reached out quickly and yanked the blonde's hitai-ate free of his forehead before letting the other two push him back to the ground.

"Monsters shouldn't have these," he said dangling the metal plate and torn fabric just out of reach of the blonde before slipping it into his pant's pocket. "Maa, Ken, I'm bored, let's go." And just like that, they leapt from the rooftop into the ally way between the houses, leaving the blonde alone on the cold, scratchy ground, bleeding and bruised, as they laughed and joked like nothing had ever happened.

And as their voices melded in with those of the busy villagers, Naruto could not help but wonder why he never fought back.

* * *

Kiba was in a very foul mood— a very, _very_ foul mood, indeed. It wasn't often that he and his trusted companion, Akamaru, found themselves at odds with each other, but when it happened it usually ended badly. His mind was elsewhere, which for quite a bit of time didn't seem to be a problem as just about everyone gave him a wide, healthy (for them, not him) berth. _Just about_ being the key words for it was inevitable that he would be snapped out of his bemused reverie eventually, and that is just what happened. Now, in any other situation, he would have just grumbled an apology and walked on, but this was not any other situation.

"Get your head out of the damn clouds and watch where you're going, pal," the youth who had almost plowed Kiba into the pavement said before he could even open his mouth to say anything; the man's violet eyes narrowed contemptuously at the chuunin.

"And where do you get off telling me that, _pal," _the brunette snarled back mocking the other, his own eyes settling into a defiant glare. "You bumped into me, _pal, _not the other way 'round."

"I don't have fucking time for this, get out of my way," he snapped irritably, moving as though if Kiba did not get out of the way, he would make him. The brunette growled low in his throat, but pushing his pride aside he stepped out of the other's way, letting him and his lackeys walk past him. He was pissed, his mood was quickly dropping to rock bottom, but he was ready to let the confrontation slide as bad luck. However, that was until his sensitive nose caught the scent of newly spilt blood and sweat as the leader brushed past him, odors he was all too familiar with.

Moving too quickly to follow, Kiba placed himself ahead of the violet-eyed, brown-haired youth— Taki, if he had heard right— and without a sound, had him pinned to one of the buildings, one hand gripped tightly about something black and silver; the other two—Maa? Ken? —had wisely backed away.

"Where is he?" It was spoken dangerously low and calm, promises of great pain lacing every syllable

"What the fuck are you talking about!?" It was meant to be threatening and defiant, but his voice came out cracked and high.

"You know damn well what the fuck I'm talking about, _pal._ I smell him all over you." Kiba moved in closer, one hand closing over his captive's throat tightly, the other one dangling the pathetic remains of the hitai-ate he had plucked from the man's pocket: Naruto's hitai-ate. "Now tell me where he is before I shove my fucking fist down your throat."

"H-he's up there." The one called Maa stuttered quickly, pointing towards a rooftop several meters away. "Please, just let him go—he can't breathe with you holding him like that."

Kiba complied far too easily, letting his grip fall away from Taki, who immediately doubled over as he retched, his own hands going up to wrap around his throat in an attempt to quell the hacking. But just as he had straightened himself back up, and Kiba had made like he was walking away, he whipped back around and decked Taki straight across the jaw, knocking him out cold with that one hit.

"That's for earlier, bastard."

* * *

Naruto sat where he had been knocked down for at least ten minutes after his tormentors had left, staring at the gray clouds as they lazily passed by. Every once and a while, a fork of lightening would weave through the fluffy mounds, but the real storm was too far away for the thunder to reach his ears. His head was pounding, his back was throbbing, and his nose stung with unshed tears, but he didn't move, he was too tired. Before long, his heavy lids closed over misted eyes and he fell into a deep, fitful sleep.

It was the first time the dream had visited his slumber.

* * *

_A cold, unforgiving wind whistled through the grasping fingers of winter-bared trees; a moaning cry like the lament of a poor mother who had lost her son to the horrors of a hopeless war and could take the pain no longer. The pitiful voice carried recklessly through the forest, rushing through the very heart of it and past its wavering boarders. But who was there to listen? Who was there to hear the heart-wrenching sound? Only the two figures standing amidst tangled bramble and deadened foliage, but they paid it no heed, they couldn't. Each could only spare his senses for the other; no more; no less._

* * *

Naruto woke with a start, panting and sweaty, his mind trying desperately to catch the phantom remnants of his dream; it had been short and unfinished, but what his broken sleep had produced had left an impression on him. However, as he began to calm down, all thoughts of the dream slipped from his mind as a new worry wedged itself into place. He could here the roar of rain as it pounded against the walls around him, but that was the problem, hadn't he been outside when he fell asleep, not on a bed, covered in blankets and wearing someone else's clothing? And hadn't it been the middle of the afternoon, not the middle of the night when he had fallen asleep?

Frantically, he searched the unlit area around him, but his caution immediately left his wire-tight body when everything came into focus as warmly familiar; he was at the Inuzuka compound in his best friend's bed, knowing it well from the many times he had spent the night after long missions and other random occasions.

"Are you awake now, moron?" the owner of the bed mumbled from a shadow-hidden corner, his voice thick with sleep but his eyes fully alert.

"How'd I get here, dog breath?" Naruto asked instead of answering as he slipped out of blankets draped over his form and sat up with his legs thrown over the edge of the bed.

"How else? I had to carry yer ass half way 'cross the village." The blonde choked on his next reply when the reality of Kiba's statement hit home. He knew his secret. "Do you know how freakin' heavy you are? Ever consider going on a diet?"

"It's all muscle, dog-breath. Jealous?" He jested, covering up his unease with his usual jokes. There was a moment of silence and just when Naruto was sure the brunette had fallen back asleep (his eyes were closed and everything), he spoke up.

"Hey, Naruto, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Shoot." _Damn it, I was hoping he'd let it slide._ _I hope I can lie my way out of this._

"What the hell were you doing sacked out in the middle of the training grounds? I just about broke my neck tripping over you, you log. I wouldn't be surprised if _you_ have a bruise, I hit ya so fuckin' hard." Kiba demanded irritable before grinning. His eyes closed as he laughed at Naruto's dumbfounded expression and the blonde could not help but stare in wonder at the unexpected question. The blonde knew that he knew what had happened, had seen him when he was most vulnerable, but he hadn't expected him respect his need to keep that a secret without ever having to vocalize it.

"I guess I was so tired after training with Kakashi-sensei that I just dropped on the way home," Naruto said laughing as well, taking up the hint with only a bit of regret. Some day he'd repay Kiba for this little act of random kindness, but for now he would just play along. And in those few moments of banter and laughter, Naruto found that his respect for his obnoxious friend had grown.

* * *

Meh, this one turned out to be so short and seemingly pointless, but I'm the sort of person who has to build up to plots and relationships instead of jumping right into them. I apologize for updating so late, and I promise the next chapter will be longer.

Also, the next few chapters will be based in the past in and will build up and beyond the prologue. Please be patient with me. This story will also be broken up into parts, part one is the past.

Please review and let me know what you think! And like last time, I won't update until I get at least three reviews, I don't see the point in updating a story no one's reading! 


	3. I:II The Art of Subconscious Illusion

**A/N Oh my god, I'm sooo sorry! I should have updated sooner-I had this chapter completed four days ago... But I'm hear now, thanks to Fire Kunai and The Six. So, to honor their diligence in making sure I do what I should be doing, this chapter is dedicated to them.**

**I do have a few WARNINGS for this chapter so please be sure to READ them before you start on the chapter: -Lime, yes, I finally did it. Three years in the fanfiction business and I finally wrote what happens past kissing. Just skip the the second block of italicized text if Boy-on-Boy action makes you uncomfortable  
-Cursing...like always  
-Major alcohol usage  
-OOC...unfortunately.**

**Oh, before you decide to bite my head off at Kiba's 'sudden' interest in Naruto, please note that this is a year ahead of the last chapter. For those who really wanted something to happen between Naruto and Kiba, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Now, without further ado, the story-**

**[EDIT (For people reading this chapter for the first time, ignore this) I MADE A FEW ALTERATIONS TO THE CHAPTER, FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING WHY THIS CHAPTER POPPED UP AGAIN IN YOUR MESSAGE BOXES, BUT NOTHING WORTH READING THE CHAPTER A SECOND TIME FOR…I WAS JUST BOTHERED BY MY CHOICE OF CHARACTERS AT THE BEGINNING WITH THE DRINKING AND ALL THAT…I CAN SEE NEJI AND SHIKAMARU DRINKING (BUT PROBABLY NOT GETTING DRUNK), BUT NOT CHOUJI, SO HE WAS DROPPED OUT. AND I'M NOT DEAD, JUST VERY, VERY BUSY.**

_**

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_**Shattered By Broken Dreams**_

Chapter Two

_**The Art of Subconscious Illusion **_

_You seem so broken. I've seen when you think no one is looking that smile that has always fooled me before disappear- replaced by indifference and locked away hurt. _

_They beat you—I've seen it, but I hadn't been able to help until that day one year ago. And it was that day that I discovered that I liked you. I mean, really, really liked you. For awhile, though, I couldn't really place that fluttery feeling I got in my stomach when we talked, or why my face flushed with embarrassment when we ended up in compromising positions during our training sessions. It was more like my body knew that I was falling for you, but I was too dumb to figure out the meaning behind the reactions. It wasn't until this year, when the dreams started coming that I figured it all out. I guess my subconscious finally got fed up with how dense I was being and decided to show me what I was really thinking._

_Now I think I might even love you._

_

* * *

_

**Two years earlier—age sixteen…**

_Alcohol is a wonderful thing, _Naruto thought sardonically as he gulped down his tenth shot of warm, unfiltered sake, the milky liquid burning his throat pleasantly but not affecting his mind like he wished it would. Beside him Shikamaru, Kiba and Neji were watching him with more than just a bit of concern as he steadily finished off his third bottle of the potent liquid, but none daring to stop him. It wasn't often that the blonde partook in their little (underage) drinking binges—actually none of them had ever seen him drink _anything _alcoholic before—so when he had asked permission to join them they were more than willing to share.

"Hey, Naruto, maybe you should slow down a bit—you've had enough to knock Tsunade-baasama on her ass." Kiba finally intervened when the blonde in question had polished off a forth bottle in under five minutes and was already half way through his fifth.

"That's funny, 'cause I don't feel a thing—not even a buzz," Naruto muttered almost mournfully; Shikamaru and Neji shared a knowing look.

"You have one hell of a tolerance, then." Kiba remarked, sounding jealous but doing so only to hide his growing concern.

"Unfortunately," he spat as he let his forehead hit the low table in front of him with a loud thud. The three others winced, worried for the obviously troubled friend.

"What happened?" He ventured tentatively.

"No, nothing happened. Nothing at all—and that's the fucking problem!" He exclaimed as he lifted his head from the table a bit too quickly to have been good for his neck. His cheeks were starting to flush with the delayed effects of the alcohol and his speech, though not in the least bit slurred, was becoming more personal than any of them had known the blonde to be; it would be the first time any of them would hear what Naruto was really going through with the disappearance and betrayal of his not so secret ex-lover. "It's been four years! Four fucking years, _today _and not so much as a scrap of news or even a hint on where he is or what he's doing has graced the lips of gossips anywhere! Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, _nothing!"_ His head hit the table again, his shoulders heaving with the sudden release of four years worth of pent up frustrations and tribulations.

"Here's another bottle," Shikamaru sighed, deciding it best not to push the subject further. Heartbreak could be so troublesome.

**

* * *

**

"I think I'm going to take him home now," Kiba stated three hours and ten bottles later. That whole night the four utterly and dismally sober teenagers had shared among them a whopping bottle and a half of sake, the other eight and a half now taking an amazingly mild effect on their blonde-haired friend—only managing in knocking him out, and they all knew that the alcohol wasn't completely to blame for his unconscious state.

"As troublesome as it may be, you probably ought to let him stay over at your place," Shikamaru stated through a large yawn, tears dampening the sides of his eyes. "He may not be very drunk, but he's unstable enough to possibly do something stupid."

"I was already plannin' on it— he practically lives at my place, anyway." Kiba replied and with the help of Neji, the brunette lifted the slight figure of his blonde-headed friend from his slumped position on Shikamaru's bedroom floor; he then situated the unconscious blonde onto his back and made his way to the door.

"Later," he said, slamming the door shut behind him once everyone had bid him farewell. The cold, crisp autumn night air immediately greeted him and subtle winds that shook the trees surrounding the Nara compound lifted and teased his shaggy brown locks. It was a peaceful night and his walk home wasn't all that unenjoyable, even if he had to carry the dead weight that was Naruto on his back.

However by the time he had got home; snuck past his sleeping mother and sister; explained the situation to Akamaru; created a pallet for Naruto to sleep on and gotten ready for bed he was beyond exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and sleep well through the next morning.

But things rarely go as one wants them to.

* * *

_The cloying odor of alcohol hung thick on both teen's breath as they clumsily embraced each other; hands groped at cloth and hair and skin while parted lips meshed together and eager tongues explored. Balance was lost and the two fell to the bed beside them, their bodies never separating as they rolled into a more comfortable position. Eager, clumsy fingers made work of zippers and buttons while never breaking the fervent kiss, and soon the blonde's orange and black jacket and the brunette's leather coat were sprawled on the floor— shirts soon to follow._

_The blonde soon had the brunette straddled beneath him after a halfhearted struggle for dominance had had the two balanced precariously on the edge of the queen sized bed and he had had to push them back in the middle with one of his dangling legs, successfully landing him on top. The whole time their kiss had never broken._

_Slowly he drew back from the brunette's mouth, smirking when he let out a whimper at the sudden loss before pressing his lips to the slope of the other's jaw. He languidly trailed his way down the tan column of flesh stopping to suck and nip at the junction where his neck met his shoulders; the action elicited a deep, throaty moan and his hips rose unconsciously beneath the blonde causing friction between their growing erections. Another moan, this time from both men, pushed up through their throats at the sudden, electrifying contact. Never stopping in his ministrations, the blonde's hands untangled themselves from the brunette's mussed hair and quickly slid down to work on the last barrier between him and more burning flesh, his mouth following all the way down to the brunet's navel. He couldn't wait any longer._

_As soon as the blonde had undone the belt and zipper of the other's pants he wasted no time in yanking them off—the brunette raising his hips even quicker to help the other when they caught around his waist. Thin gray boxers hung low on slender hips, tented around his excitement, and just like the pants the material was soon bunched around his ankles, revealing a beautifully erect and needy cock._

_The brunette soon lost himself to the dizzying wave of ecstasy as the blonde swallowed him whole._

_

* * *

_

A groan escaped Kiba's lips as something pulled him away from his dream and back into the fuzzy realm of reality. His eyes were blurred with sleep and as he slowly tried to blink away the remnants of unconsciousness, he became painfully aware of a burning ache in his loins and a heavy weight on his chest. _Damn dream, _he thought groggily as he rolled over onto his side—at least, that's what he tried to do, but that weight he had felt on his chest suddenly took on the physical makeup of a strong, tan arm and if he had still been holding onto sleep in any way earlier, he was wide awake, now.

"Ah, fuck!" he hissed, panic flooding through him at the sight of Naruto draped across his chest, his serenely placid face mere centimeters from his craning neck and his breath still reeking of alcohol. He hadn't been in the bed when he'd fallen asleep, had he? _What should I do? What should I do?_ He screamed in his head, not daring to speak aloud in fear of waking the blonde up. He could feel the blood rush to his face and to the lower half of his anatomy more quickly than he would have liked—he would have preferred that no blood rush anywhere, but that was asking too much. _I'll just lay here, maybe he'll roll—no! Not that way! Roll the other way! The other fuckin' way! Goddamn idiot!_ His body seized up as he felt the blonde roll almost completely on top of him, one leg straddling both of Kiba's and his blonde head snuggled deep within the crook of the other's shoulder—the arm that had been draped over his body tightened its hold possessively, extinguishing all hopes of escape.

"Of all the things that could happen—I'm pinned to my own bed by a drunk-ass blonde…a stupidly attractive, drunk-ass blonde," he muttered under his breath—his mind didn't like all the yelling. "God damnit, how long am I gunna have to—"

"Uhn…Kiba…" He went stock still at the moan half expecting to see wide blue eyes, but instead he was greeted with another throaty moan from the still very much asleep blonde; the sound elicited a more intense reaction from his lower half, and the ache melted into a painful throb; if he didn't take care of his growing excitement soon, he felt like he would explode—in more ways than one!

The gods seemed to take pity on the poor, suffering teen and before another minute had elapsed Naruto had rolled over to his original position and Kiba was free to escape to the bathroom, where a cold shower and a new change of clothes awaited him.

Alone on the bed, Naruto watched him sprint away with tired, but very alert blue eyes.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Kiba finally emerged from his bathroom and into his room with great humility, completely prepared for a fist in the face or even worse the concerned look of a deceived Naruto, but what he saw made the air rush out of his lungs in a relieved sigh; the blonde was still sound asleep in bed in almost the exact same position as before. Nothing had changed; he hadn't roused him with his hasty escape; it was like the gods were looking out for him that night, when really it was just the work of a certain blonde-headed boy.

However, when the brunette clambered into bed and turned on his side to settle down for sleep once more, he came face to face with a half-awake Naruto—it took all his will power not to yelp and for all his efforts, he couldn't help the sharp intake of breath that tore into his lungs at the scare.

"Hey Kiba?" The blonde mumbled; if he had noticed the other's shock he did well in pretending he had not.

"Huh?"

"I nee' ta tell ya somethin'…" His slurred voice trailed off in a yawn, the stale smell of sake still tainted his voice, but it was not all too unpleasant.

"Yeah?"

"I…" another yawn, the blonde looked just about to keel over, but he had piqued Kiba's interest and he was not about to let the boy fall asleep in the middle of telling him what ever it was he wanted to tell him—it was also a very convenient distraction.

"Come on, spill it." He demanded, now fighting off a yawn himself—damn those things were contagious!

"I think… I migh'… like ya…." The last part was almost indiscernible as the blonde finally drifted back into the realm of slumber, but with his keen sense of hearing, Kiba caught the words like that had been yelled in his ear and boy did they make his heart pound.

Hope and fear tightened a knot in his stomach and he spent the rest of the night praying that the words had not been the source-less ramblings of the heartbroken and drunk.

* * *

"…_you've had enough to knock Tsunade-baasama on her ass…" _For everyone who's up to date on the anime and manga, you know that this is a feat in itself because boy can that woman drink!

…_polished off a forth bottle in under five minutes and was already half way through his fifth. _Usually sake has about a 15 to 17 percent alcohol content, which is about the same amount as a pretty strong wine. A 300 ml (roughly 10.2 fl. oz) bottle of the liquid could get you more than a bit tipsy and three to four would have the average person completely crocked beyond belief and/or miserably sick.

…_almost three hours and ten bottles later. _Going by what I've based the bottle sizes to be, that amount of sake is enough to keep you sick for weeks—but it was barely enough to knock Naruto out, and that was with the aid of emotional fatigue.

I can't think of any other notes to add…soooo—I hope you enjoyed this incredibly late chapter and like always, I won't update until I have at least three reviews!


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